PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY

Peanut & Cashew Free School Newsletter

Friday 3rd of May

Issue No:5

Respectful, Responsible, Safe and Kind Learners

Anzac Day 2019 The history of the ANZACs is a very important part of our teaching and learning

curriculum. The students are involved in research and tasks that deepen their

knowledge and understanding of our history. The students have been involved in

writing letters from the perspective of a soldier, writing poetry, making ANZAC

biscuits and taking part in the Portarlington community march and service. The

school captains proudly represented our school at the Geelong schools service and

also the Portarlington Service. Thank you to the children and families who supported

us on ANZAC day and thank you also to Nicole (Jacob’s mum) for baking so many

ANZAC biscuits for us to enjoy at the march last Thursday.

School Calendar of Events 2019 -See Page 4

Respectful, Responsible, Safe and Kind Learners

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PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY …….

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Fort Queenscliff Excursion– JLC On Wednesday the 13th of March Year 1 and 2 travelled to Fort Queenscliff. Here are some things that we learned.

I liked dressing up as soldiers because it was so much fun. Noah

I learned that the old guns aren’t made now because the war is finished. When it is dark, they use the lighthouse so people can see where they are going. Seth

I learned that there were soldiers. They fought for us so we could be saved. Ruby

I liked Fort Queenscliff because I got to see some guns. I liked dressing up as a fighting army soldier. I learned that the lighthouse shines out to the ocean to see people. Blake

REMINDERS-2019 School Calendar

Please check the calendar regularly as some events are subject to change.

Child Safety Standards Enter at the Office only-To maximise safety we request that parents and visitors do not use other doors to enter

the school. Parents and visitors are not permitted to go directly to classrooms at any time without signing in at the

office and discussing their needs with an office staff member. Thank you for your understanding.

PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY …….

2019 (further dates will be added as they come to

hand) 2019 Term 2 1st May District Cross Country Qualifying Students only 6th May SLC to Melb Museum 9th Apr Brave Hearts program F-2 20th May Education Week begins May 21st School Council May 22nd SLC Football/Netball Lightning Premiership

May 22/23 Dental Screenings May 23rd Parent Sessions– Child Anxiety Jules Haddock-The Anxious Bird Evening Session 6-8pm Bookings essential. May 28th Prep 2020 Information Evening May 29th JLC Excursion to the Wool Museum May 28th Division Cross Country-Qualifiers only 5-7th Jun SLC Camp to Cave Hill Creek, Beaufort 7th Jun Celtic Festival Concert F-4 10th Jun QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY—

NO SCHOOL 12-14th Jun MLC Camp to Sovereign Hill, Ballarat 18th Jun School Council 28th Jun Last Day of term 2– 2.30pm finish

2019 Term 3 15th Jul NAIDOC Week commences 23rd Jul 3 Way student, parent,

teacher conferences. 12th Aug Science Week begins 19th Aug Book Week begins 20th Aug School Council 23rd Aug Book Week Parade 20th Sep Last Day of term 3– 2.30pm finish

2019 Term 4 7th Oct Walk, Scoot, Ride to school October Promo begins 18th Oct Buddies excursion (Year F & Year 5) 23rd Oct GEELONG CUP PUBLIC HOLIDAY—NO

SCHOOL 1st Nov Pink day Walk, Scoot, Ride to school October Promo ends 5th Nov Melbourne Cup 6/7 Nov Dental Screenings 11th Nov Remembrance Day 19th Nov School Council 21st Nov SLC Blue Light Disco - TBC 22nd Nov White Ribbon Day - Zero Tolerance of Family Violence 26th Nov Volunteers Morning Tea –11am 28th Nov Year 2 sleepover -BIG NIGHT IN 10th Dec Year 6-7 Transition (govt schools) 2020 Port PS school transition day School Council 11th Dec Year 6-7 Transition (govt schools) 17th Dec Last of final instruction 18th Dec Final Assembly 11.45am Year 6 Graduation –6pm 28th Jun Last Day of term 4 - 1.30pm finish

Respectful, Responsible, Safe and Kind Learners

CROSS COUNTRY 2019

Reflections from some of our Cross Country Athletes On Friday the 22nd of March the whole school participated in a Cross Country running event. Every student walked down to the foreshore to join in the race. Here are some of the highlights from the students:

My favourite thing was having a go- Lucy (Foundation) I enjoyed improving my stamina and getting the right rhythm-

Flynn (Year 4) I liked earning points for my house team –Tully (Year 1) I love running really fast with my friends – Hunter (Year 1) I like trying my best in the competition- Ruby (Year 3) I liked the atmosphere and trying my hardest to make it to the

next round- Bailey (Year 6) I enjoyed the run along the beach and sorting the house

counters- Aiden (year 5)

School Council Update– April 2019 CCTV Security Cameras The policy was ratified. Signs notifying the public have been installed. Cameras were operational from the end of Term 1, 2019. 2018 Annual Report The report was ratified. Once approved by the Department of education, the report will be uploaded to our website and to COMPASS Excursion Approvals SLC Excursion to the Melbourne Museum on the 6th of May, 2019. JLC Excursion to the Geelong Wool Museum on the 29th of May 2019.

Parent Information Sessions –TERM 2 1. Child Anxiety– Jules Haddock, The Anxious Bird. Thursday May 23rd 2019, 6-8pm. Bookings Essential. Child Care available (FREE) RSVP: 5259 2572 by May 20th, 2019.

2. Prep 2020– Parent Information Evening Tuesday May 28th 2019, 6.30pm RSVP: 5259 2572 by May 24th, 2019.

Curriculum Day Term 2– April 23rd, 2019 CHILD SAFETY STANDARDS As part of our responsibility to ensure children are safe Portarling-ton Primary, staff undertake regular training. Due to the number of new staff, we participated in the WISE CHILD training again. BACKGROUND

The 2013 Betrayal of Trust report by a Victorian Parliamentary com-

mittee has made recommendations to all Victorian Schools.

For registered schools, Ministerial Order No. 870 sets out the specific actions they must take to meet these requirements.

From the 1st of August 2016, the new Child Safe Standards come into effect.

Portarlington Primary School is committed to implementing the 7 Child Safe Standards.

To create and maintain a child safe organisation, schools must have: 1. strategies to embed an organisational culture of child safety, including effective leadership arrangements 2. a child safe policy or statement of commitment to child safety 3. a code of conduct that establishes clear expectations for appropriate behaviour with children 4. screening, supervision, training and other human resources practices that reduce the risk of child abuse by new and

existing personnel 5. processes for responding to and reporting suspected child abuse 6. strategies to identify and reduce or remove risks of child abuse 7. strategies to promote the participation and empowerment of children Child Safe Web Page-http://www.vrqa.vic.gov.au/childsafe/Pages/default.html Ministerial Order No. 870 http://www.vrqa.vic.gov.au/childsafe/Pages/documents/Min%20Order%20870%20Child%20Safe%20Standards.pdf

Wise Child The Wise Child Primary Program is a program designed by ChildWise (https://www.childwise.org.au/) to enable parents, teachers and caregivers to assist children to identify situations in which they feel unsafe, prevent sexual abuse and to speak to a trusted adult. It also aims to empower children to say NO and speak up in unsafe situations.

Content of the Training: The training covered topics such as;

Sexual abuse stats and facts

Grooming and the dynamics of sex offenders

Strategies to teach children to prevent sexual abuse and violence and to develop ‘networks’ of

safe people

Responding to disclosures and Mandatory Reporting.

The main themes of the Wise Child program were:

Safety including CyberSafety

Understanding our Feelings and learning to trust them

Early Warning Signs that our body gives us when we feel unsafe

Touch and Assertiveness. Children need to learn to distinguish between different types of touches and learn how to be assertive and say NO.

Body Ownership. Children learn about the ‘Private Zones’ of their body. They are taught the correct terminology and that no one can touch their body without their permission.

Secrets VS Surprises. Children learn that they should not keep secrets that make them feel bad.

Networks and Persistence. Children identify the safe adults in their life that they can talk to if they feel sad/confused/ angry.

Student Program – will be implemented in Term 4, 2019 (every 2 years this program is implemented). Parent Information – An information evening will be held for parents in late term 3, 2019.

PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY……..

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK……

Ebony McGrath...showing persistence and enthusiasm when trying to solve real-world measurement problems. Mia Harrington…giving evidence from the text when making predictions - I’m impressed with your knowledge of authors too! Nate Vince...completing his persuasive arguments for why zoo’s shouldn't be banned and using evidence. Gemma Holmes-Wilkie...persisting to measure different objects in CM. Michael Oldfield...diligently working on his multiplication skills. Tilly Lloyd...demonstrating all our school values and classroom expectations all of the time. Great role modelling Tilly! Mekhi Iosefo...showing a positive attitude to his learning. Nate Beard...diligently working on their sustainability project. Millie Russell...working so resiliently to make a metre! Flora Briggs...being mindful of your Reading goal this week. Justine McMahon...diligently working on their sustainability project. Liam Marshall...showing persistence in his narrative writing. Xander Davis-Atkins...getting along with others and having a great start to Term 2 Charlotte Hughes...using the title of a story to make predictions about what might happen. Macey Debono...following the school wide PBS and being kind to others. Cameron Duffield...always showing our school values in the classroom. Lachie Reilly...always showing our school values in the classroom. Jacob Yule...using his ANZAC day knowledge to write a narrative. Sadie Robertson...showing enthusiasm and excitement to write a narrative. Violette Marzo...bouncing back when things get tought. Great work Violette Reef Ansell...learning to write his name even when he thought he couldn't Amy Cataldo...consistently showing all of our values in all areas of her learning. Freddie Strong...applying himself to learning new OWL Words.

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Health and Safety-No Smoking with in 4 metres of our school boundary .

Smoking in cars, especially with children is discouraged.

Speed Limit– There is a 40k speed limit in designat-

ed areas during school times. The main street is al-

ways 40km per hour

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Information and Reminders Communication to Parents

Portarlington Primary uses electronic systems of communication. The online system at our school is called COMPASS. Our friendly office staff can help you with any login issues or show you how to use COMPASS. Newsletters are produced every fortnight. They can be accessed via COMPASS and on our school website -www.portps.vic.edu.au On our website you will also find the web link to COMPASS. Social Media – for school updates and information (facebook). Please contact the school if you have ques-tions as we only use facebook to share information and to celebrate events. SMS messaging system– important information is sent to parents via a text messaging service. Please re-spond to any requests sent out through the SMS service. Do not reply using texts as the school does not receive reply messages. Student Diaries and phone calls are also used to communicate to parents. Staff are also available for meetings with parents. We want to make sure that we provide you with our full attention so please phone the office to make a suitable time for an appointment. Staff have meetings everyday between 3.30 and 4.30pm. Staff are preparing for student learning, attending briefings or yard duty from 8.40am. Parent, Teacher, student conferences (interviews) are held in February and July.

PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY …….

Extreme Weather

At school we can experience days of extreme weather—this could be rain, wind, heat or bushfire smoke. We have guidelines and procedures for extreme weather conditions which include ensuring the children are inside so that they are safe. Depending on the weather, we may implement one or more of the following processes according to the conditions- Seek shade or cover Wear hats/coats/scarves Drink plenty of water Open the school hall Direct children to passive play in the hall. Instruct staff and students to remain in classrooms for break times Provide sunscreen Encourage parents to apply sunscreen and provide water bottles for their children

There is an urban myth that schools send children home when the thermometer hits a certain temperature-this is not the case and normal school

hours apply.

Kids or Animals in Cars Melbourne and greater Victoria will experience extremely high temperatures for the back to school period. Parents and/or guardians are reminded that on hot days it is important never to leave children or pets alone in a car. Temperatures inside a parked car during summer can be around 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the outside temperature. Leaving children or pets in hot cars, even for a moment, can result in serious injury or death. Young children’s smaller body size and underdeveloped nervous system places them at a much greater risk of life-threatening heatstroke, dehydration and other serious health risks. If a parent or guardian is travelling with a child, never leave them alone in a parked car, not even for one moment.

Reminder-Student Supervision Staff supervise the school yard between 8.30am—8.50am, 11.10 -11.30am, 1.40-2.15pm and 3.15-3.30pm. Children arriving at school before 8.30am must be accompanied by an parent/carer or booked into the before school care program Kelly Club as no supervision is provided before this time.

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Yard Supervision Every day Please discuss this with your child. Our school yard is always supervised. Staff wear fluorescent vests for easy identification. Staff members may also be found in the office and staff room during break times. Passive play operates (with a teacher), at lunch time in the library.

Some Reminders for 2019 School Uniform: The students are looking amazing in their complete uniforms. If you can’t find an item, please ask, as we will do our best to make sure that we keep them all looking part of a team. Hair: hair that is past shoulder length is to be tied up Nail polish other than clear is not welcome Bike shorts are only to be worn under a skirt or dress, not as a uniform item. Leggings ( dark blue only) can be worn under shorts, dress or skirt, not worn by itself with a long T shirt. Shoes – runners or black school shoes only Hair ties – dark blue or red Jewellery- only sleepers or stud ear rings. No necklaces/ bracelets /rings of any kind for safety reasons. No netball skirts please. Hats Keeping our Beautiful Children Safe in the Sun! Hats must be worn outside commencing the 1st of September until the 1st of May each year. Second Hand uniforms: We have a small supply of second hand uniforms. Mel, Lisa or Margaret are able to help you. The stock of second hand uniforms is regularly replenished from unclaimed, un-named clothing which has been laundered. Thank you to the parents who have donated good quality uniform items which children have outgrown. We really appreciate your support. All money raised from our second hand uniform sales is directed toward funding of our sponsored child Emmanuel Wasilwa from Uganda. This costs us $360 per year to sponsor him plus last year we paid an extra $270 for his accommodation for the year so he could go to secondary school (for his board during the school term). Absences and Late Passes: If your child is absent from school – please record the absence on COMPASS as soon as possible to explain the absence. It is important that absences are accurately recorded on our data system. If you know that your child will be absent for an upcoming appointment– you can record it at anytime on COMPAAS (even the night before). If you are running late – Parents /carers must sign your child in at the office and have Mel or Lisa enter the attendance on the computer. The child collects an Arrival Pass Card and is taken to their class learning space by a member of staff. Conveyance & CSEF Forms Conveyance Allowance Application forms and Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund application forms are now available at the office. If you believe that you are eligible please contact Lisa, or Mel at the office.

Kelly Club- Out of School Hours Care We would like to welcome back the Kelly Club team to our school as the providers of our OSHC service. All bookings, management, organisation and communication is done by the team at the Kelly Club. The school does not do this. Jodie Brown is the coordinator. Please contact OSHC on 0448 449 113 to find out how you can book into the Kelly Club.

2019 TERM DATES

2019 School Starting Time

Our school grounds are supervised from 8.30am. All staff start work at this 8.30am This time also supports many of our parents and caregivers who have work or appointments first thing in the morning.

Classes start at 8.50am and children will be required to be on time each day.

Please address any queries to our friendly office staff and they will be happy to help you.

7.15am Kelly Club-Before School Care

8.30am Drop off Yard Supervision by a Teacher Breakfast Club on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

8.50am Classes Start Session 1

10am Session 2

11am Eat/Play

11.30am Session 3

12.30pm Session 4

1.30pm Eat/Play

2.15pm Session 5

3.15pm Classes End Kelly Club-After School Care Yard Supervision by a Teacher until 3.30pm

3.30pm Yard Supervision ends

6pm Kelly Club-After School Care finishes

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Period Start Finish Length

Term 1 Tuesday, January 30 2019 Friday, 5 April 2019 10weeks

School Holidays Saturday, 7 April 2019 Monday, 22 April 2019

Term 2 Tuesday, 23rd April 2019 Friday, 28 June 2019 10 weeks

School Holidays Saturday, 29 June 2019 Sunday, 14 July 2019

Term 3 Monday, 15 July 2019 Friday, 20 September 2019 10 weeks

School Holidays Saturday, 21 September 2019 Sunday, 6 October 2019

Term 4 Monday, 7 October 2019 Friday, 20 December 2019 11 weeks

2018/2019 Summer School Holidays

Saturday, 21 December 2019 Tuesday, 28 January 2020

2019 School Staffing

2019 School Structure

11 Home Groups

FLC: Foundation x 2 home groups (2 staff ) JLC: Year 1-2 x 4 home groups (6 staff )

MLC: Year 3-4 x 3 home groups (5 staff ) SLC: Year 5-6 x 2 home groups (5 staff )

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Principal Lesley-Ann Allbutt

Assistant Principal Jackie Kaiser

Business Manager Lisa Gale

Primary Welfare Manager Margaret Browne

Technical Support Brendan Beattie

Teachers- Home Group Michael Campbell

Jasmine O’Brien

Brad Greenwood

Christopher Hester

Lauren Bannam

Mel Meaney

Brooke McLaren

Tom Kearney

Michelle Primmer

Dylan Dunoon

Lisa Waterman

Teachers- Specialist Program Renee Aloi

Kim Mikelsons

Tim O’Hara

Morgan Lee-Hickey

Wendy Newton Education Support Staff

Bec Pavez

Frank Pavez

Mel Singleton

Mary Minogue-Bolton

Karren Sheard

Teacher Coaching, Educational Consultancy and Speech Therapist

Andrea Hillbrick Janine Elias

School Groundsman Neil Sheard

Portarlington Primary……..

The Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge is here again and we would like to encourage all students to get reading! The Premiers Reading Challenge is a great way to read all those wonderful books you have been saving up. If you would like to record your child's home reading on the Reading Challenge website a user name and password will be sent home in the next 2 weeks with the link. All reading completed at school will be entered on the website by the co-ordinator. if you have any problems feel free to contact Wendy at the school. Lets get reading everyone and see how many books we can add to your list!!

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) If you are the holder of a Health Care Card, please make sure that you come into the school office to register for the CSEF. If you are eligible for CSEF and also the parent of a Prep child, you will receive information early in Term 2 with details of how to apply for your Prep Winter Warmer Uniform Package.

CSEF application closing date is 28th

June 2019

Portarlington Primary……..

HEAD LICE POLICY

Rationale: Head lice (pediculosis) are tiny insects that live on the human scalp where they feed and breed. Between 2-3% of primary school children are infested at any one time. While they do not carry or transmit disease, they are a cause of head itch and scratching, which may lead to infection and swollen lymph glands; therefore, they need to be controlled. It is important to understand that anyone can catch head lice. Head lice cannot fly, hop or jump. They spread from person to person by head to head contact, and may also be spread by the sharing of personal items such as combs, brushes and hats.

Aims: 1. To respond to reports of head lice quickly and effectively. 2. To ensure effective processes for treating head lice are well known and consistently followed. 3. To ensure that parent/guardians and guardians are well informed about head lice and their treat-

ment.

Implementation: 1. As outlined in the school’s Uniform Policy, students with shoulder length hair must wear it tied back

when at school. 2. While it is parent/guardians who have the primary responsibility for the detection and treatment of

head lice on their children, the school will assist by offering up-to-date information, by offering a screen-ing process, and by alerting parent/guardians of lice when detected.

3. The school principal will ensure that selected staff are available to manage this policy within the school. 4. Staff with the responsibility of managing this policy are provided with professional development regard-

ing head lice and will be authorised to- A) conduct visual checks of students heads for head lice (observations without touching of the students head or hair) and to B) conduct head lice inspections (physical examinations) of students head and hair for the presence of head lice. 5. The school will ask parent/guardians to sign a permission form allowing their children to be inspected by our specific staff members for the presence of head lice. Only children whose parent/guardians have re-turned the permission form (which forms part of the enrolment form) will be physically inspected, howev-er, all students may be visually checked. 6. The parents/guardians of all children checked or inspected who show evidence of eggs or lice will be contacted by the school. Consistent with Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2001, the principal will ensure that the parent/guardians of any child found to have live lice are informed so that appropriate treatment is commenced as a matter of urgency. As per the DET policy, schools must exclude infected students until the day after treatment has commenced. Dead eggs are not grounds for exclusion, (brown ones are alive). https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/health/pages/headlice.aspx .The school will also provide parent/guardians of children found to have live lice with information about head lice treatment and prevention. 8. Upon their return to school, children undergo another inspection from specific trained staff to determine if the treatment has been successful. 9. A follow-up phone call to parents will occur should the issue continue. The school will ensure that information relating to the prevention and eradication of head lice is availa-ble at the school.

Evaluation: This policy was ratified by the School Council in November 2017 This policy will be reviewed as part of the school’s review cycle in 2020

Portarlington Primary……..

We are excited to be taking part in the 2019 Woolworths Earn & Learn program.

During the previous campaign, we were able to purchase some great resources with the points we earned, thanks to you.

From 1st May until 25th June, you can collect stickers at Wooloworths that go to-wards Earn & Learn points. For every $10 you spend at Woolworths (excluding the purchase of tobacco, liquor and gift cards), you will receive a sticker. These stickers can then be given to your children to collect on a special sticker card. (60 Stickers per card). Once it is completed, they can simply bring it back here to school or you can drop them into your local Woolworths collection box located at Portarlington and Drysdale.

The more points we earn, the more we can redeem from a choice of over 10,000 ed-ucational resources including mathematics and English resources, art & crafts mate-rials and much, much more!

We are grateful for your support and look forward to a successful program. If you

have any questions, please ask at School.